Awakened
by Kyoun
Summary: There are two sides to every coin. One shrouded in darkness and one encased in light. When a being made from the shadows themselves is sent to hunt down and eliminate Link, he will stop at nothing until he destroys his light counterpart.
1. From Darkness, I create

_A/N: This story is going to be different in essence from my others in the sense that I am going to go by an outline I wrote up instead of playing it by ear. I'm going to see how this will work out, so bear with me._

**Awakened**

Chapter 1

"From Darkness, I create"

One slow note after another, gauntleted hands regally moved upon a rather large organ at the very top of an atramentous castle; exterior and interior. His amber eyes were focused on the piano, watching his fingertips stiffly dance on the organ. The melody rang throughout the castle, echoing from wall to wall and room to room. If one were to stand at the entrance of the castle, they could hear the fleeting melody the red-haired man was playing. Whenever this man had a need to ponder and plot his next movement in the reality that he played like chess, he would retreat to his quarters and tap upon the organ with his thick and heavy fingers. It relaxed him and let his mind focus on something else for the moment while he would idly continue to ponder and plot.

He was garbed in various regal armor and clothing. His hands were protected beyond the wrist with cloth gauntlets, a metal surrounding half of his hand to let his fingers roam free. Upon the cloth that extended almost to his elbows were various red and blue patterns. Red rectangles and blue outskirting lines lined the gauntlet. A dark brown leather shirt met the end of the gauntlets, covering his torso. Covering his neck was a thick black-armored gorget that left the front of his neck free but protected the back, the armor extending up to his ears, and upon his shoulders were silver pauldrons. Over the gorget was a cloth in similar design to the gauntlets he wore as was a sash around his waist. He wore thick leather leggings attached to trunk-like legs that were firmly planted to the ground. Attached to his shins were poleyns that extended upward with a fit plate that covered the front of his kneecaps. He wore bronze-colored armored boots, covering the throats was a similar designed cloth to the gauntlets and gorget.

Attached to his back as a thick crimson cape that could have been dyed with the blood of all whom he has killed. The one of worthy note: the late King of Hyrule himself. After the assassination he took the castle for himself and remolded it under his name. This name was Ganondorf; Current King of Hyrule and soon, the world. Bleeding through his right gauntlet where the back of his hand was the sacred mark of the Triforce. By evil deeds and advantages, he took the Triforce of Power for himself. With its might, he colored the streets of the castle town with blood of the villagers, then had the power and will to resurrect them to be his eternal guards while the rest fled. The mindless corpses in the castle town named redeads would forever serve loyal.

But, something troubled him that he had still to decide on that couldn't be done by him. A single boy was running amok in the great Ganondorf's land. Already, with his ridiculous green hat and pitiful sword he had broken the curses on two of his temples and awakened the sages there. This disgruntled the Evil King, for he was making progress and was nearly halfway done with breaking the curses upon all of the temples. He was no fool to assume that the boy was getting stronger with each trial he passed, as well. But there was too little time for Ganondorf to even leave the castle at the moment. He would need a pawn to send to confront this little boy. As he played, he realized it would have to be decisive. The possibility of letting the boy live was too great. After all, he had yet to locate the whelp of a Princess that had _his_ Triforce of Wisdom.

Finishing the tune, his cunning mind had come up with a perfect solution. His thick crimson eyebrows furrowed as he thought of the plan, a large grin pursing his lips that spread ear-to-ear. _That_ was how he was going to bring down the boy. His right hand slid from the organ to grip the side of his cape, drawing it with him as he turned as it flapped somewhat, his eyes on his throne room door as he descended down the steps that lead up to the organ he was previously playing. He stopped at the bottom of the steps, letting go of his cape.

Similar to how he had made a phantom of himself with the mighty power of the Triforce, he was going to make a phantom of the boy, who he had yet to learn the name of. He was pretty sure, however, it was Link. But this phantom – this alternative form of Link would be an ascended phantom. When he had created his worthless phantom, that was just a test of his almighty power. He raised his thick hands, stopping them just in front of his chest. Now that he had gained some experience these past seven years, he had mastered the Triforce of Power. But now he had to remember, remember back seven years ago when he had first struck Link with child's magic. He had to remember his presence and draw from that.

Letting out a deep exhale, he began his dark creation. Black smoke began to rise from his palms as atramentous opaque balls were centered in both of his palms. Remembering Link down to the last detail, he focused on how his presence felt. The courageousness when he amusingly stood up to the great Ganondorf, the striking sapphire eyes, even the silly hat. Turning his hands outward, the black smoke rising from his hands suddenly retreated back to his palms as the opaque spheres were released from his hands and flew through the air like arrows to the carpeted floor, striking the ground as the opaque balls exploded into more black smog. But it was a controlled smoke that began to take the form of a body, as it all condensed into the body.

Upon the floor now lay a ash-gray skinned being. He was crumbled on his side in a somewhat loose fetal position. His white hair lay against the floor, covering half of his face. His lips were parted as his chest slowly rose and fell. He was clad in a black tunic and boots, the silly hat on his head even black. A white utility belt was wrapped around his waist, bearing pouches to carry various things. Across his shoulder was a belt that was attached to the belt around his waist that would carry his sword that was missing. Covering his hands up to his elbows were white fingerless gauntlets, wearing skin-tight leggings and long-sleeved undershirt. Ganondorf gazed upon his creation with a satisfied grin, ignoring the sword and shield that was missing for the single purpose that he hadn't made them. He was too busy focusing on the creation itself. Swifty, he walked over to the side that the fetal-positioned body was facing, crouching down as his armored kneecap met the tile with a _clank._ A thick hand reached out and cupped the unconscious being's chin, holding it upward as Ganondorf examined the face of his creation. It all too well reminded him of Link, so he was spot on. The only difference was the hair color and skin color, which wasn't too problematic.

"Awaken, child!" His strong voice rang out in the throne room. It carried well, the boy jolting awake to find his face locked by the large man's hand. Crimson irises mirroring the cape Ganondorf wore stared into the orange eyes of Ganondorf. A small chuckle escaped the evil king in pride of his creation. "Yes.. I can feel it. You are much stronger and more powerful than the pitiful phantom I created that I had to banish.."

Ganondorf removed his hand, standing up straight. "Get up, child." He ordered, Dark Link slowly moving to his knees, shaking his head that was still fuzzy. Everything felt surreal to the unusually skinned being, everything seeming to surprise him. His eyes wandered around the room, before focusing on Ganondorf again. Remembering the order, he rose shakily to his feet.

"You are.." Ganondorf began, pondering a name. "Dark Link. Simple yet true to word. You are my eternal servant and you swear your allegiance to me. I created you, and thus am I your master. Your single purpose is to eliminate Link."

Dark Link nodded once, raising a hand to his throat which felt incredibly dry. He massaged it, his fingers digging into his skin as he began replying with a hoarse tone. "Y-Yes." He replied, accepting his mission and name.

Ganondorf sensed the weakness of Dark Link's current standing, raising a strong hand and creating a glass of cool water in similar fashion to the creation of Dark Link. Offering it to Dark Link who accepted it, the glass was empty within moments. "I have created you with basic knowledge of the world around you.. Yet you are still very inexpeirenced. ...I will send you to Gerudo Fortress for training. I will send word immediately and prepare your teachers. You are headed southwest to the desert. Once your training is completed, you will be sent to destroy Link. Am I understood?"

The boy nodded again after a moment, turning immediately to leave the throne room and prepare his journey. Ganondorf watched the gray-skinned Link leave the vicinity, raising a hand to rub his chin in thought before he turned, ascending the steps and returning to play the organ to decide on his next course of action to locate the exalted princess.


	2. Mysteries of the Heart

_A/N: I wonder if anyone's still intredasted in this piece of work? Oh well, I like the idea of it, and breezing over the first chapter I thought, hell, I'll finish it. I just hope I get new reviewers/readers soon. I still get that giddy feeling when someone reviews my work. It's a nice feeling._

* * *

**Awakened**

Mysteries of the Heart

Dark Link moved with curious haste. The curiosity of his haste was blamed on the surrounding lands. The plains littered with hills took him about a day's travel, most of which was spent sightseeing as he followed his master's vague direction. Tied around his waist in the form of adventurer's pouches were items he was given by some of Ganondorf's servants. A compass, map, arrows, and a few bombs that lay in a bomb bag tied to his alabaster belt. These items felt alien to Dark Link, having never used them in his life. They felt like extra baggage. His sword was tied by the sheath to his waist and his bow donned across his back. He had no experience with these items. His shield was permanently donned to his right arm, Dark Link not actually knowing if he were left or right handed. The instant his fingers made contact with the shield, however, he knew where it should be put.

Having scaled the hills and through the valley, Dark Link traveled the path leading to the scarlet cliffs. He noted how the grass ceased to grow after a certain point, turning yellow, then gone all together when he passed by. He cut through the cliffs by a path with many turns, and came to a peculiar spot. The ground was tall before him at a 90 degree slant, a couple meters off the ground in the least. And what could be called the most laziest architectural attempt ever, there was a simple wooden board planking a path to the cliff. Dark Link tested out the board, tapping it with his foot. His only hope, would be that it wouldn't break under him and he would need to find some way to climb up the cliff that cut off the road.

Holding out his arms to the side, his crimson eyes focused on the wooden plank, he balanced himself onto the board and began to scale it. It bended at the midpoint, causing Dark Link to hurry up and sidle up it. Relief struck him when the board didn't break under him in spite of his heavy equipment. Dark Link still felt very stiff with all of the equipment latched onto him like leeches, but strangely, the shield felt at home. He had paid it no mind long ago, welcoming the company. Only his sword, bombs, and bow felt odd. His navigation equipment were welcome, too. Navigation was like a second nature to Dark Link oddly enough.

Finally looking at his surroundings, Dark Link, too, welcomed the wide area among other things. His heart sank, however, at the broken bridge. So close, yet so far. He frowned. Were the gerudo just barbarians? First a plank and now a broken bridge. Some deity was laughing at him. He shook his head, Ganondorf being a gerudo. They couldn't be all bad. Dark Link could only have high hopes. Crouching where near the bridge broke off, he examined it. The wood on the other side was still very sturdy from the looks of it, he just needed someway across. Thinking for a moment, reviewing his items, he thought about every possibility. Then it clicked. Smiling in the small triumph, Dark Link pulled out a grappling hook from a satchel on his alabaster belt. There was a problem, however. He didn't know how to use it. When he held it in his hands, contemplating the usage of the tool, his eyes sharpened at the other side of the bridge and his mind cleared with knowledge of the exploration device. As if he was a trained adventurer, he took a step back and began twirling the hook at a high speed. Launching it across with the aim of a trained marksman, the claw doing its job well and grappling in the space between two boards, latching onto the lower one. Putting on a game face, Dark Link leapt off the cliff and used his feet as a brake when he reached the other side, climbing up his rope, pocketing it when he reached the hook, then climbed up the rest of the bridge. Walking up the stonework, he could only hope there would be no more broken bridges or raised cliffs with wooden planks in his future. He saw two cliffs force a path between them but the open land before it was a sight for sore eyes. Taking his own sweet time, Dark Link walked to the cliffs and onto the path that lead between.

Moments passed, and the winding cliffs path came to a close. The cliffs spread apart from each other, though a valley was now apparent. But looking to his right and skimming along the sandstone, he thankfully saw what looked like stairs cut into the sandstone leading upwards. The previous ground of sandstone took on the form of sand, directly ahead of him a desert entrance locked off by a rather large gate. Taking his eyes skyward, he examined the hanging rope with the crest of the gerudo. A bright smile widened across Dark Link's face, his journey complete. He ran up the stairs and saw the presence of the adobe brick fortress.

And to his delight; people! They guarded the adobe brick fortress, many of them patrolling the equally many entrances. Though something hit him strange; women garbed in baggy purple clothing that left their upper chests and arms bare patrolled. The same amethyst color was worn in the shape of a bandanna tied around the lower half of their face to hide their identity. It worked wonders, the guards looking strikingly similar. Though in their own right they were fearsome, carrying sharp glaives as they patrolled, Dark Link couldn't help but wonder where the males were.

Though his thoughts didn't matter in that same second. They looked to him, and charged at him, shrieking at him to hold his ground. Dark Link saw the ill intent in their eyes, a voiced exhale escaping his lungs as he realized that he quickly had to do something. Before he could even touch the hilt of his blade and brace himself with his shield, he was tackled upon from behind and shackled in movements so fast he was surprised he was tasting sand. "Take him to the hold under orders of Avalla." One of them hissed condescendingly. _Something's wrong. This is the right place, right? I followed the map and compass right, didn't I?_ He asked himself, trying to make sense of the situation. Dragged through the gerudo fortress made of adobe brick, he was carried to a lookout area that peered over the fortress. Dark Link was unshackled and thrown inside a cell in the lookout. Meeting the hard floor and coughing, the had just been air stolen from his lungs just like his freedom had been. Breathing there for a moment, he heard a shout from above. "Stay in there and rot, and don't let me catch you making any weird noises!"

Dark Link huffed, sitting up cross-legged. He folded his arms, furrowing his brow. The gerudo had unknowingly tipped him off. Someone ordered his capture. He would have to locate this 'Avalla' person and get the truth from her, he was here on orders from Ganondorf! The most peculiar thing about the situation was that he still had all of his weaponry and they even removed his shackles. Pondering the thought, he began to wonder if the gerudos were that confident of this cell that he would never get out. Suddenly feeling challenged, he looked up and examined the cell. It was completely made of sandstone, save for a window that was open. Dark Link smirked, pinpointing something they seemed to overlook again. He stood up, readying his grappling hook once more. Launching it, it clawed into the wood and Dark Link used it to climb up the wall and scout from the window. He got a nice view of the whole fortress, and mapped it out in his mind. Looking below, he found a spot where the edge of the brick building cut below the window.

Deciding to utilize it, he looked and then leapt. One moment, the soft air was coursing through his face and body. The next was landing. He rolled forward the moment he made contact, breaking most of the fall though his knees hurt then. Sitting for a moment and recovering, he stood. Seeing a shadowed entrance, he took it. Leading down the corridors of the gerudo fortress, he began the hunt for Avalla.

Dark Link adapted to stealth quite easily. Breathing softly, and keeping his treks silent albeit his equipment. The corridors were lit with lanters, the daylight outside doing little to light the inside. Windows were existant, but even then. Skull ornaments hung at the end of hallways, unhuman and sometimes demented. Prizes of hunts? Or silent boasting of monsters killed? Dark Link didn't know. Whenever he and a gerudo woman met, he would knock them out with a swipe of a hand to their neck. Only knocking them out to keep them silent, he had to find Avalla and couldn't play around. Dark Link was believing betrayal was a factor.

With no time to rest, the atramentous garbed warrior moved quickly. Dashing through the brick halls, his feet tapped against the floor as he ran into a wide hallway with a cell to his left. He stopped, examining the empty hold. The door was open, though he wouldn't dare step inside for fear of the door locking behind him. Somewhere in his gut, he felt he wasn't alone. Licking his dry lips, he kept his left hand near the hilt of his sword in case he needed it unsheathed fast.

He heard something zip through the air and land, Dark Link spinning around, holding up his shield just in time to block the blow of a scimitar wielded by a woman who looked like the guards outside. Only; her attire was teal and did nothing to hide her slender, curvy figure. It made Dark Link feel strange, almost entranced by how she looked. Her dark crimson hair cascaded down her back, a red hairpin almost undetectable forced her bangs back over her left eye, her right amber eye staring at Dark Link with a look of playfulness, a wide grin on her lips. Her smile somehow melted Dark Link, but he stood strong. Something felt off about his heart, it was beating erratically. He felt it in his veins, and from how tight he was holding his shield in defense, he felt his heart beat in his hands. _Could it be that this woman's an enchantress?_

"Are you Avalla?" Dark Link finally asked, keeping his crimson eyes on her amber. Even her solid gold iris was enchanting.

"Guessed it right, Grey-boy." She answered and drew a second scimitar from behind her. The sound of the sharp metal seemed to echo in the room, ringing in Dark Link's ears.

"Grey-boy?" Dark Link repeated with a confused tone, a teasing giggle coming from an amused Avalla.

"It's my nickname for you, because of your unusual skin. It's exotic, I like it. You're perfect for night missions. We're going to get along great, because those are the most important."

She leapt back with acrobatic grace that surprised Dark Link, his eyes captivated by what he knew to call beauty. Her exotic behavior piqued his curiosity, but now was not the time for that. Avalla was charging at him, with a possible intent to kill.

Panic running through him, his left hand gripped his blade. Confidence then replaced panic, his eyes sharpening as Avalla neared. Almost expertly, though Dark Link never touched his dark version of the Master Sword, it was drawn in a moment and blocked one of Avalla's scimitars, his shield blocking the other sharp blade. Pinned in this position, they were face to face. "Your eyes... They're fierce." She commented, winking at him.

Dark Link felt the heat rise to his face, and in that crucial moment, she slipped into his guard and kicked him straight in the stomach. He practically flew through the air with a grunt of pain and slammed onto his back, clutching his stomach. "Dirty... shot..." He muttered, sitting up and rubbing his stomach.

"A thief isn't exactly honorable!" Avalla called out, leaping in the air and spinning, one of her two blades aimed at Dark Link's neck.

A noise of unmanly surprise escaped him, Dark Link quickly rolling to the side as the blade sliced into the brick, a slice marking the floor that was at least an inch deep. "Are you insane? That could have off'd my head!" He grimaced at the thought, the hand to which his shield was donned to reached up and massaged his neck, the thought of it making him uneasy.

"Hey, you dodged it." She sounded surprised, as if she expected him to die then.

Knitting his brow in irritation, this woman was getting to him. Dark Link had to take on the offensive, and he was. Avalla stood up straight, rolling her wrists and thus making the blades slowly twirl. Charging at her quickly, his feet met the brick in quick taps. Avalla was caught off guard by his speed, able to bring up the flat side of her scimitar to block a lunge from Dark Link's darksteel blade. "Hey, you blocked it." Dark Link smirked, returning her comment from earlier.

"Don't get cocky," she was amused by his verbal bite, leaping back with the same acrobatic grace and then flanking him, running at a curve to his right side and lashing out with her blades in flurries of expert strikes.

Dark Link could barely keep up, his hands knocked away by her scimitars to only dive back in his guard to block another blow. _This is bad – I'm losing ground!_ He thought through bared teeth. And then, it was over. She weaved into his guard with a victorious statement, the tip of the scimitar poking his throat. He swallowed, his crimson eyes on the steel. "Got you, Grey-boy."

Avalla had him. Dark Link had much to learn. He rose up his hands in surrender, a triumphant giggle coming from Avalla who lowered her scimitar. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dark Link dropped to his knees. Only now did he realize just how exhausted he was.

"Hey, you know, you did better than I expected," Avalla piped up, sheathing her scimitar in scabbards she wore on her back. "In the letter Lord Ganondorf sent me, I expected you to falter in the first few moments. It seems you have clear natural talent, Grey-boy."

"Dark Link. It's Dark Link," he tried to correct, seeing a surprisingly dainty hand reach out to him for him to grab. Accepting it, Avalla pulled him to his feet with surprising strength for someone of her size.

"Sure, Grey-boy," Avalla said again, this time in pure spite of him trying to correct her.

Dark Link sighed. _What a stubborn woman._ He dusted himself off, sheathing his darksteel sword. "Lord Ganondorf told me I was sent here to learn combat skills. Are you my teacher, Avalla?"

"Yes. Well, no. One of the two you'll be an apprentice under." Avalla placed a hand on her hip idly, "you'll also be training under my sister, Ivarra. I'm your hand-to-hand combat trainer, she's your magic trainer. I'll be teaching you all you need to know about how to hold that sword of yours and my sister will help you to - "

"Enhance your mental capabilities beyond their current standing," a voice sounded from the entrance, cutting off Avalla. Avalla's face fell, her mouth thinning into a line as she looked over. She hated it when people cut her off. This new presence knew it, too.

A woman stood there with short, eye length scarlet hair that reminded Dark Link of the cliffs outside. She wore similar attire to the guards outside and Avalla, only her garbs were black. A jewel headdress was placed upon her, a red ruby placed on the middle of her forehead. The ashen-skinned warrior thought it similar to what Ganondorf wore.

It was odd. Dark Link didn't get the same heated reaction he got from Avalla. But he did feel a wave of cold infiltrate the room when she walked in. Pushing that out of his mind since he cast a glance over to Avalla when he thought that and saw her beginning to say something, he tuned in to listen. "Yeah, what she said. Boring stuff. I find magic boring anyway, actual hand-to-hand combat is always the more exciting form of physical combat."

Paying Avalla no heed, Ivarra approached Dark Link and bowed somewhat. "I am Ivarra. I am the high mage of Gerudo Valley, second to the great Ganondorf himself."

Hearing those words stated in such a calm, confident matter made Dark Link's spine shiver. _Is Ivarra really that powerful? _He thought, amazed. Jolting in realization, he bowed as well. "I'm, ah, honored to be under your wing."

Ivarra nodded, satisfied and stood up straight. "Watching the conflict between you two, I would imagine you're quite tired. Avalla may be useless in the terms of leadership - "

"Hey!" Avalla growled, clenching her fist.

" - She_ is_ a capable fighter. Follow me, I will lead you to your quarters." With that, Ivarra brushed past Dark Link, turning him slightly as he watched her walk on. Exhaling, he thought about the polar opposite personalities of his sister trainers. Ivarra was obviously the calm, collected one, and Avalla the mischevious, bad-tempered one.

Avalla watched Ivarra walk away, and looked to Dark Link. "See you later, Grey-boy. Have a nice night." She smirked, leaping out a nearby window with acrobatic grace he had seen many times already.

_My name's Dark Link. _He thought with soft irritation to the nickname. But suddenly, hearing himself call himself Dark Link made him stop. He stood in a reverie for a moment. Then, her words dawned on him. He felt a chill run up his spine as he might sleep with his sword tonight in fear of a midnight assault. He dashed after Ivarra who had not looked over her shoulder once to see if he was following.

* * *

Dark Link stared at his ashen-grey hands. His sword, shield, bow, bombs, and other items lay on various dressers and side tables throughout the room he was offered by Ivarra, who had later told him that his training would start tomorrow and that he should seek her outside at the earliest.

But Dark Link's mind was on other matters. He thought of his own name. It sounded weird. Dark Link. It was simplistic, yet truthful. But there was one thing wrong – he wasn't Link. He was Dark Link. Someone made purely for assassination purposes. This wasn't really his own body. It was a mirrored, twisted version of someone already existing and threatening Lord Ganondorf. Then, he hated his name. He was named after someone who threatened his Master. Dark Link was created in an image that Ganondorf liked, down to every last detail. Then, he began to think about Avalla's nickname for him. Grey-boy. He didn't like the cutesy 'boy' at the end of his nickname Avalla gave him, but Gray was a name Dark Link could adapt. He wouldn't be known as another form of a counterpart he was supposed to kill and hate. It would be an original name he could be proud of. _Gray._ The more he thought it, the more he liked it. He decided upon it. Abandoning his Lord's given name, he renamed himself Gray. He was sure his maker wouldn't mind, but Gray had other things to worry about. Namely, the moon was beginning to rise and he was expecting Avalla any minute in case her last words to him that day weren't a teasing phrase.

As he lay down, however, he made sure his blade was near.


	3. Midnight Mischief

_A/N: Sorry for the late updates on this tale. EOCs are over, so I can start working on my tales again. Without further ado..._

* * *

**Awakened**

**Chapter 2**

Midnight Mischief

Opaque darkness surrounded Gray. He found himself drifting in the blackness, feeling weightless. His mind was blank, almost as if he were in a daze. He didn't know how he knew, but he could feel the sensations of falling. But it was a gentle descent deeper into the blackness. His feet met solid ground as he steadied himself, standing tall. His eyes looked down and saw himself standing on the opaque darkness, nothing below. Gray shifted his vermillion eyes upward and saw piercing cerulean eyes staring back. Startled, Gray took an instinctive step back, before he realized who was standing before him. Cerulean eyes stared lifelessly into his, golden locks of hair peeking out from a green cap. A sword's hilt peeked over his right shoulder, Gray's eyes fleeting to the purple hilt with green gauze wrapping in a cross-hatched manner. The Master Sword, a name that entered Gray's mind. _Who are you?_ Gray mouthed the words, but it was as if it were a thought. Gray could not hear his own voice. His eyes shifted back to the sharp, blank cerulean stare. A soft zephyr of realization met him, Gray's eyes growing slightly more analytical of the person before him._ So this is what you look like, Link._

A Grey-skinned, white gauntleted hand reached out to Link. The person he was made to kill was just so tangible before Gray. But, the hand flattened against a surface – a barrier between them. Only now did Gray notice Link's gauntleted hand doing the same, the two palms meeting each other. As if Gray was standing in front of a mirror, Link mimicked his movements perfectly. So this man was the man causing his king trouble. _Strange,_ Gray thought. _You know, Link, I thought I'd feel more anger if I saw you. More hatred,_ the Grey-skinned being mouthed again, but heard his nonchalant voice in his mind.

_But I feel calm. But there is something I want to know... Who are you? What are you fighting for, Link?_ Gray asked thin-air, knowing that the dull-staring reflection would not respond, but only stare.

All of these thoughts crossed Gray's mind in that single moment, the reflection of Link fading into the opaque darkness, until eventually, Gray was by his lonesome in the blackness.

* * *

Gray awoke with a small furrow of the brow, his vermillion eyes slowly opening. He was laying on his side on the bed, seeing naught but the empty room filled with moonlight. Suddenly, his ear twitched and he felt himself stir to alert. His hand slid over the side of his bed, gripping the familiar hilt of Gray's sword. A sound. A footstep. _Could it have been my imagination? _The Grey-skinned warrior thought for a single moment, before he knew it could not have been. Someone was just outside his window. Gray did not know, but his hand slid to the side of his bed, gripping the hilt of the darksteel Master Sword. His eyes closed, Gray concentrating on his other senses. Blank. Then something, the smallest of sounds. A heel meeting brick. He was not alone. He could almost sense who came to him in the night before his bed. Gray had to act now. Turn the tables on the intruder. He took a deep breath, preparing himself as he heard another footstep. He or she was close. In one fluid movement, Gray leapt from his bed.

Vermillion eyes flashed opened, staring coldly into the golden eyes of the intruder. Gray's sword was drawn and sliced through the air vertically, not to strike his opponent, but to scare them. The blade stopped, a pair of tanned hands gripping the blade as they clapped around the fuller. A struggle of power ensued, Gray finally able to analyze who was before him. Almost undetectable red hairpin throwing bangs over her left eye, long crimson hair tied in a ponytail, skin-tight black clothing for sneaking. "Avalla?" Gray asked the intruder quizzically. Then, it clicked.

_See you later, Grey-boy. Have a nice night._

Avalla and Gray struggled, a venomous glare bearing into Gray's. He felt his strength wane. "And just who do you think you're attacking, Grey-boy?" A cold, accusing tone entered Gray's ears.

Gray felt the rush of the situation leave his body, his confidence dropping. He brought up his free hand, coughing nervously into his fist. "Sorry, I..." Gray began coming up with an excuse.

But Avalla once again surprised Gray with her strength. Once more, he had underestimated her. Avalla twisted the sword from Gray's grasp, the darksteel blade meeting the adobe brick floor. Avalla had wrenched the blade from Gray's grasp with a quick twist of her hands and a spin of her body. Carrying her form through the momentum, she gracefully leaped upward with one foot, the other brought up as a cloth shoe met the cheek of Gray, who found himself face down on his bed and with a stinging cheek.

Avalla landed, her back to Gray, harrumphing and crossing her arms in mock disdain. "I only came here to talk and you attack a poor little girl like me."

Gray turned over on his bed so he was facing her back, the back of his hand rubbing his cheek. _Poor little girl, she says..._ Even though he had been ready the moment he heard a sound outside his window, he was still caught off guard.

"However, you're really good if you were able to detect me sneaking in here. More capable than I previously thought." She unfolded her arms and brought a hand up to her chin, nodding to herself.

"Well, kid, seems like you're full of surprises. I knew I could count on you!"

Gray's ears twitched again as he brought himself to a sitting position on his bed. "Wait, count on me for what?" He inquired in a small voice, a bad feeling rising in his stomach.

Avalla turned around, the moonlight reflecting the mischief in her eyes. " What, you ask? If you've got skill like that and you're only a beginner, then tonight's not going to be wasted explaining things. We're going on a little treasure hunt." She seemed excited about the idea, walking closer to Gray. He was unable to see the lower half of her face thanks to a black cloth mask that covered the bridge of her nose downward, the moonlight hitting the side of her face made it seem all the more terrifying. Gray could _feel_ her grin.

_We're going to be out stealing, _the Alabaster-haired warrior thought. That didn't sit right. Why should he accompany the deadly thief? Gray didn't want a part in taking things from others without a good reason. Something disturbed his thoughts, something protruding from her back. "What's the sack for?" Gray raised his hand, pointing his index finger to her backside.

At the question, Avalla shrugged the straps off her shoulders, tossing the beige sack at him."Your skills are apparent, I've acknowledged you. On the first night, no less. Here – You're going to be wearing this."

Avalla tossed him a bag she'd been carrying, landing on his lap. Gray was right about this bad feeling. But it felt good to be praised, enough so that he let out a deep exhale from his nose and peeked into the pack. Black clothing was in it, down to gloves, a mask like Avalla's, cloth boots and everything else. Avalla prepared for this, that much was obvious. "I'm to be with you to go loot... Where?"

"Little ranch smack dab in Hyrule Field not too far from here, you might have seen it on your journey. Place has a platinum-chained diamond necklace. That little trinket's going to be mi-" she paused. "Ours." She winked at him, leaping to the window with acrobatic grace.

"Put that on and meet me outside!"

And she was gone. Gray sighed. What choice did he have? He unpacked the clothing and stripped himself down to almost nothing, before he garbed himself in the skin-tight clothing.

It would seem like the clothing would be too tight for comfort but the clothing was easy to move around in. It was as if Gray was wearing air itself. His hands slid up the mask up his Grey-skinned face, to the bridge of his nose. He found he could breath quite easily albeit the cloth. While he took off the rest of his tunic, he couldn't bring himself to take off his floppy cap. It stayed nestled on his head. He only had on his personage his grappling hook, tied at his waist, and his darksteel Master Sword strapped to his back. Following Avalla, he scaled himself to the window. Looking down, he saw her waiting at the bottom. It wasn't too large a distance, Gray placing himself out the window as he slid down the wall, his gloved hands protected. The cloth was sturdier than it looked. His feet met sand, Avalla walking to him.

The leader of the Gerudo Fortress looked him over. His cloth boots, his black tights, his black shirt, mask, and his cap. What was with the cap? "Why do you still have that thing on?" She reached out to grab it, but Gray's hands swiftly reached up and pressed his hands against the cap on his snow-white hair, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. He looked rather childish. "Don't touch the cap – It's a personal thing." He left it at that, unable to explain himself further.

Eyebrow raised, Avalla's eyes flickered to the cap and to his face multiple times. A tanned hand pressed against her lips, her breath caught in her throat as she almost laughed. Regaining her composure, she cleared her throat. "Whatever, Grey-boy. Makes you look that much more adorable any-how." She winked at him again. Gray shook off the tease, shifting the cap back comfortably on his head and adjusting his Alabaster hair, following Avalla as she began walking toward two horses. "Know how to ride one?" Avalla asked over her shoulder. "Didn't see you arrive with one."

Gray was about to reply that he didn't know how to ride one, but his body spoke for him. "Yeah, I know a thing or two." His step was abridged, surprised at his own answer, before he resumed walking. He climbed on top of one after Avalla leaped up and landed softly on the other horse. Gray's skilled hands gripped the reigns of the horse, strangely feeling at home as if he had done this multiple times. He looked to Avalla, waiting. Her eyes were already on him, nodding. Voicing her expression to move at the horse, she kicked its sides and the horse sped off, Gray following suit.

Gray began wondering how he knew things he swear he did not know before. Horse riding was so familiar, yet unknown. The soft breeze through his Alabaster hair he welcomed like an old friend, the soft galloping of the horse almost a lullaby it was so familiar. A strange, peculiar thought wandered into his mind. Did Link know how to operate these things? He thought of his dream again, of the Aurulent haired and cerulean eyed warrior. Was Gray connected to Link some how, other than appearance? Gray gripped the horse's reigns a little tighter. It was almost as if Gray had no identity. Gray felt disturbed, angry, at no one in particular. But it was all directed at Link. He could not reason this anger, it simply was. And it made Gray all the more anxious for the training to kill Link.

* * *

Avalla taking point, Gray followed suit as they left Gerudo Valley and entered the dark of Hyrule Field, following the dirt trails leading to Castle Town. Up ahead, Gray saw the large foundation that was Lon Lon Ranch, a little ranch surrounded by rock, the roof of the house peeking over the rock wall. It wasn't a long trip to the ranch, Avalla telling Gray to stop just outside the entrance leading into the ranch. The entrance was a man-made cut into the rock, leading uphill to the ranch. Avalla dismounted her horse, Gray leaving his. Avalla ran silently up the path, Gray following suit. Entering the ranch at night, Gray saw the house on their left, and a building to their right that housed the ranch cows. Avalla leaned up against the stonework of the house, the most obvious entrance being the door. But above, two windowsills sat. "I believe the necklace is in the daughter's room. Malon was her name, I think," she briefed Gray, who took hold of his grappling hook and began swinging it to help their ascent.

Avalla heard the motions the hook made, looking behind her to see the grappling hook Gray brought. "Nicely planned," she nodded.

Standing back to give Gray room, he launched the hook up at the windowsill, catching the wood as the iron claw gripped it firmly. Tugging it to make sure, it seemed stable. Gray let go of the rope, pointing Avalla upward. Taking the hint, the leader of the Gerudo Fortress gripped the rope and climbed upwards with practiced motions. Reaching the windowsill, she planted her feet on the woodwork, fiddling with the lock of the windowsill, Gray analyzed, looking upward.

With motions Gray couldn't see, the windowsill opened, and Avalla disappeared inside. Now Gray's job began as watch. He leaned against the house, looking to his left and to his right to make sure the coast was clear. Having gone over their plans on the horse ride to the ranch, Avalla was the one who sneaked inside while Gray kept watch and dealt with anyone who came near.

Gray suddenly realized how tired he actually was, waking in the middle of the night because of his strange dream. He stifled a yawn to not make sound, the seconds passing by seeming like hours and hours. His head tapped against the stonework of the house, finding support in it, as he couldn't help but feel his eyes slowly lid. Exhaustion gripped him like a cold fist, wrenching energy from him. Before he could dive into slumber, he heard the clicking sounds of a doorknob, his eyes flaring open as energy suddenly flooded into his body. Startled and alert, Gray's hand flew to the hilt of the darksteel blade. His eyes located the source, the door to the cow hold twitching as a voice grumbled behind it. Gray sidled up to the woodwork of the cow hold, waiting for the door to open and whoever inside to step out.

The door finally opened, a tall, skinny man slumping out with a bucket tied to his waist, holding a yellow cloth. "Every night these damn cows seem to get filthier..." He grumbled through a thick mustache that pointed upwards on the ends, his thick eyebrows equally pointed. Gray had no time, he had to act. _Sorry!_ Gray apologized in his mind. Unsheathing his sword, Gray raised it above his head and brought it down on the unsuspecting farm hand. The flat side of the blade met his head, acting as a club as the man received the blow, then toppled over. Gray let out a breath he had been holding, sheathing his sword. Grabbing the male by his feet, Gray dragged him into the cow hold through the still-open door, dropping him inside and closing the door as the Grey-skinned intruder left. He didn't feel right knocking out the farm hand like that, but they didn't have much time before he woke back up, assuming Gray didn't do any brain damage.

Gray had to sound the signal, a simple crow. Walking up to the side of the house where the rope dangled, he cupped his mouth with his hand and mirrored the sound a crow would make, repeating it three times. Removing his hand, he waited for Avalla. A couple minutes later, the tanned thief leapt from the window, landing gracefully on her feet. Gray looked at her, expectation in his eyes. Avalla turned to face him, dangling a necklace from her palm, one of her eyes closed in a wink before she ran to the entrance of the ranch, Gray following suit. Seems like their mission had been successful. Gray wasn't able to catch up as quickly, grabbing his grappling hook and unlatching it from the windowsill, running after Avalla after tying it back to his waist.

After the two had rode for a little bit, Avalla finally spoke. "Sorry that took so long, Grey-boy. Old lock box had it, took me a while to crack the lock but I eventually got it. This thing's going to go for a lot of rupees." She danged it in front of her face and awed it.

Gray looked over to her with an unreadable expression, watching the bewilderment in her eyes. He sighed to himself, turning his head away. Gray didn't particularly like the idea that they stole something so valuable from someone. It obviously was valuable other than money, otherwise Gray was sure the owner of it would've pawned it off. Shrugging it off, he just wanted to go to bed. Avalla was too preoccupied with the necklace for any conversation, so Gray kept to himself.

* * *

Back at the Gerudo Fortress, Gray slumped onto the bed and tiredly closed his eyes. His body was somewhat sore from horseback riding, the experience in the mind was there but the body had no experience with bouncing up and down uncomfortably like that for so long. Wrapping himself in the blanket he was provided, he quickly dozed off to sleep still wearing the clothes Avalla gave him to sneak around in.

The much needed rest Gray wanted wasn't given, not more than two hours later before the sun would rise, he was stirred from sleep by loud knocking on his door. A voice called that he didn't recognize, assuming a Gerudo guard came for him. "Ivarra wants to see you down below, newcomer. Hurry up!"

Gray could hear her footsteps walk off, as he internally sighed. The midnight adventure rewarded Gray with no sleep, though he felt a little better than he did during the midnight theft. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes as he imagined sleep would not be something to come often during his stay.


End file.
